A Level 3 predatory sex offender on the run from his Rochester residence since mid-April has been captured in Southern California, authorities said Monday.
Michael James Costa, 38, was released from prison last summer and had been under intensive state supervision in Rochester.
He was apprehended over the weekend near Van Nuys, a Los Angeles suburb, said Minnesota Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald. Costa remained jailed as of Monday afternoon.
"Intelligence information led investigators to California, where with the assistance of local law enforcement, Costa was arrested," a Department of Corrections statement read. The agency declined to say more about what led authorities to Costa.
Costa was last seen leaving his home in Rochester on a black mountain bike. He's known to use the aliases Maliik Gouli and Malik Mujaheed Hassan Costa.
His criminal history includes convictions in 2003 and 2012 for criminal sexual conduct against girls in Olmsted County. He's also been convicted twice for failing to register as a predatory offender. Level 3 offenders are considered by the state to be those most likely to reoffend.
